### Airag
Айраг
Mongolia — Churned thousands of times in giant leather sacks, this fizzy, tart horse milk fueled Genghis Khan’s legendary empire.
Airag is a frothy, white drink made entirely from horse milk. Because it is fermented, it is thin, fizzy, and distinctly sour. It has a pungent aroma and a tart flavor that tastes like a surprising mix of buttermilk, sour cream, and champagne.
How It's Made
Mongolian herders pour fresh summer horse milk into a massive cowhide sack called a khukhuur and add a starter culture of friendly bacteria and yeast. Over the next one to two days, they use a wooden masher to plunge and churn the liquid between 3,000 and 5,000 times! This intense lacto-fermentation transforms the milk into a bubbly, tangy brew.
The Story
Dairying on the vast Asian steppes dates back over 5,000 years. Around 1200 BCE, right when humans first learned to ride horses, the ancient Botai culture discovered how to ferment their milk into a lasting, nutritious drink. Centuries later, this incredible food science literally fueled the greatest land empire in history, giving Genghis Khan and his fierce Mongol warriors the stamina they needed for their massive conquests. Today, the traditional method of making Airag in a leather khukhuur is so deeply treasured that it is officially recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.